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OPINION
NOVEMBER 15, 2013
Letter to the Editor: a response to APSA Sports article
To whom this may concern,
Unfortunately, Guilford’s student population continues to carry
a skewed and unfortunate perception of what athletics mean to our
institution.
In last week’s Guilfordian article titled “APSA’s proposed
structure puts sports on a pedestal,” the Guilfordian staff has
allowed yet another under-informed individual to pass judgment
onto this community.
In his article, the author unfairly implies that athletics at Guilford
only provide our community with social benefits. Specifically, the
writer states, “(C)ampus was abuzz in rain-drizzled activities,”
and the homecoming football game was a “community-building
experience more than anything else.”
What your staff writer
fails to vocalize is that -
athletics at Guilford College
are not Just fim activities
that he and his friends can
attend on the weekends,
but a revenue generator
and powerful recruiting/
retention tool — specifically
for students of color.
At an institution of higher learning placing such paramount
emphasis on cultivating community and diversity, many people do
not recognize the obvious: a huge majority of Guilford’s traditional
students of color are athletes.
In other words, without the athletic department’s active recruiting
efforts, our diverse little Guilford bubble would not be so diverse
after all. Without coaches and college officials working to recruit
and retain student athletes of color^ Guilford would be no more.
Moreover, we can talk finances. With over 250 student athletes,
our athletic department generates quite a bit of tuition for this great
institution year in and year out.
The writer goes on to discuss how Guilford should, “(F)ace
the facts: this is a small Division III school. It is not an athletic
powerhouse by any means. Community is everything.”
Without coaches and colleae officials working to
recruit and retain student athletes of color, Guilford
would be no more.
In other words, a Guilfordian staff writer writing an article about
how we as a community need to protect and uphold the departments
we love blatantly disrespects and spits on a large portion of our
traditional student body.
Guilford students and community members serve on the athletic
teams that you so crudely dismissed as unimportant. We are
important, and we are here.
I agree with the writer on the grounds that no department should
be prioritized over another, but the article written was incredibly
dismissive and hurtful in how assumptive it was about something
that is at the heart of an incredibly significant portion of our
community. It poses yet another instance of “us vs. them,” or
“athletes and non-athletes.”
Please remember: athletes are also affected by cuts throughout
campus, and we do not sleep
in the locker room.
I challenge the writer,
The Guilfordian and the rest
of the student body to stand
up for what they believe
in without stepping on one
another. Stand up together
— —and hold each other up.
Is that not what
teammates do?
Signed,
A stupid, muscle-head, privileged, frustrated, incredibly invested
team captain — Paris El-Ali
This letter has been condensed for formatting
purposes.To view the full text, visit:
WWW.GUiLFORDIAN.COI^
Liberal America too dense to function
BY TY GOOCH
Thanks to liberals, America is going to
Hell.
First, they try to take away our guns.
Now, they're trying to take away our
prayer.
Last week, the
Supreme Court
reviewed a case in
which the town of
Greece, N.Y., is being
chastised for holding
a prayer before most
board meetings.
"Two residents
•” are challenging
the town's practice
as a violation of the
First Amendment ban on government
'establishment of religion,"' wrote Greg
Stohr on bloomberg.com.
I find it very interesting that these
liberals care about their so-called
"rights" all of a sudden. I mean, wasn't it
just a few weeks ago they were trying to
kill our Second Amendment right to bear
arms?
What these liberals need to realize
is that the First Amendment gives us
the right to freedom of religion. That
means that we, as Christians, are free to
do whatever we want with our religion.
If that includes holding prayers before
legislative meetings, then so be it.
As Christians, we must stand up for
what we believe in and ensure that our
beliefs are shoved down the throats of
others.
But thanks to brain-dead liberals, our
exclusionary practices may soon come to
an end.
"Yes ... forcing your silly religious
superstitions on me is unconstitutional
... it violates my First Amendment
rights," wrote C. Calvin in a comment on
outsidethebeltway.com.
What a bunch of bull!
The problem isn't that we're violating
C. Calvin's rights. The problem is
that liberals like C. Cdvin have
misinterpreted the Constitution and feel
that they are entitled to freedom. Liberals
just think they're entitled to everything,
don't they?
' You see, the Constitution is a very
complex document that is hard to
understand.
For example, take a look at the Second
Amendment. For some odd reason, the
Founding Fathers chose to call guns
"bear arms."
So I doubt when they wrote "freedom
of religion," they really meant freedom
for all religions. What they really meant
is that Americans are free to practice real
religions like Christianity.
"Contrary to the ramblings of Marxist
Islamophile Barack Hussein Obama,
America is indeed a fundamentally
Christian nation," wrote Erik Rush on
conspiracy theory website wnd.com.
One more thing. You know their little
friend in Washington that some like
to call the "president?" He supports
legislative prayer too.
According to Fox News, Obama has
taken the side of Greece.
Tell that to the next liberal you seel
Though I'm not sure we should be
happy about this. It's most likely an
attempt for the man to force Islam upon
us.
"Obama is a full-fledged supporter
of Christian-killing A1 Qaeda," wrote
gerbadagin in a comment on theblaze.
com.
It won't be long before the United
States of America turns into the People's
Republic of Jihad.
Obama isn't the only one we shouldn't
trust. The Supreme Court Justices
certainly aren't qualified to rule on the
issue of legislative prayer.
Just look at their religions. According
to Wikipedia, the Supreme Court Justices
are composed of six Catholics and three
Jews.
Last time I checked, the Jews don't
even read the Bible. And Catholics pray
with beads.
These non-Christians should have no
say in our prayer practices.
If people don't want to hear our prayers,
they can get out of our legislatures. We
don't need their backward, "progressive"
views anyway. I bet you that if I read the
Constitution, I wouldn't see a law saying
that atheists, Muslims and Jews have a
right to be in our legislatures.
Then again, I don't care about anything
besides my right to own a gun.
This doesn't look good, America.
They're trying to take God out of
everything.
Our Christian country is going to Hell.
Ihis iek's
Gearing up for
finals season
It began as one paper. Then two. Then two
and a take-home exam. Then two, a take-
home exam, a set of discussion questions, 200
pages of reading, and they're all due an hour
before your test. As we near the end of the
semester, the work piles on — hard. To help
you survive, here is the Guilfordian Guide to
Finalizing Finals.
• Scheduling - Figure out when you must do
work and when you can relax, so you don't
just stress all day, every day.
• Sleep - It's a good thing and it helps you
remember stuff. If you skip it, you'll regret
it.
• Food - It helps you not die. Stockpile it in
your room, hit the Grill or Q if you need
something quick, hire a friend to be your
designated food retriever. Just remember to
eat.
• Short breaks - If you work constantly for
several hours or dl night, you will bum
out. Take some time to unwind from your
assignments. It'll let your mind absorb
information better or give you a chance to
generate new ideas.
• Unplug - Rip the plugs out of your XBox
and TV, and turn off your cellphone. They
ai« distractions, and you don't always
realize how much time you've sunk into
them before iTs too late. No, you don't need
to check Facebook right now and you can
watch New Girl later. Get back to work.
• Assignment-hopping - When your brain
has reached maximum capacity for one
assignment, work on something else for a
little while. It's like a break with more work
involved.
• Exercise - Though it takes time and effort,
exercising even once a week blows off some
steam and gets you energized with those
lovely endorphins. Eustress v. distress, etc.
• Brainstorming - If you are having the
ultimate mind block and need to figure
something out (and if an assignment allows
it), why not ask a friend to help you. Two
heads are better than one (unless they're
connected to the same body).
• Lastly, stay sober - you need your mind
clear for some of that work.
The end is near, Guilfordians.
Brace yourselves.
Reflecting Guilford College's core Quaker values,
THE TOPICS AND CONTENT OF STAFF EDITORIALS ARE CHOSEN
THROUGH CONSENSUS OF ALL 16 EDITORS AND ONE FACULTY
ADVISER OF The Guilfordian’s Editorial Board.